Deciding what to dunk one’s chips into is a very serious and frequent topic of discussion in our house. Ketchup? Mayo? Mushy peas? Curry sauce? I’m a bit of a ketchup fiend myself, and if its got a kick of chilli to it, all the better. Here’s something a little bit different, slightly spicy, vibrantly purple and a little bit awesome – beetroot & chilli ketchup. Perfect for slathering on your favourite veggie burger, to accompany a veggie ‘full english’, or indeed for dunking those chips in.
I’ve been experimenting with ketchup-making for a while, starting with a tomato mountain from our allotment a few years ago, and branching out into other additions, (apple, various herbs and spices, red wine, a courgette or two, or any other vegetables I had lying around…!).
But this is definitely one of my favourites – particularly as a winter ketchup, and would make such a lovely homemade gift, (if you can bear to give any away once you’ve tried it).
I had a bunch of beetroot lurking in the fridge, hence roasting it in the oven in step 1. But I’ll let you into a little secret… if you want to make this really quickly, you could use ready-cooked vacuum-packed beetroot instead. It will still taste great, just remember to try it before bottling and adjust the sugar/vinegar/salt/chilli to your own taste.
When the only gadget I had to blitz ketchup until smooth was my little hand blender, I would always pass it through a fine sieve to get that nice smooth, glossy consistency. But today I used my wonderful Froothie Optimum 9200A to whizz it up instead, and guess what… (sorry, I’m becoming a Froothie bore aren’t I), it’s as smooth as silk without any sieving required, and I’ve avoided turning my sieve pink. Win-win!
Beetroot & Chilli Ketchup
Ingredients
- 1 kg beetroot (about 12 medium-sized beetroot)
- 2 tbsp sunflower or rapeseed oil
- 1 red onion, peeled and finely chopped
- 1 carrot, peeled and finely chopped
- 1 stick celery, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 chilli, finely chopped (remove seeds if you prefer a milder chilli flavour!)
- 1 tsp salt
- 175 ml red wine vinegar
- 70 g soft brown sugar
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 200C/400F/Gas Mark 6. Place the beetroot (whole and un-peeled) in a large piece of foil, drizzle with a little oil, wrap up to enclose them and place on a baking tray in the oven for an hour. After the hour is up, test each one with a sharp knife - if it passes through easily, the beetroot is cooked so remove it. Return any which aren't cooked to the oven and keep testing every 10 minutes until they are all tender.
- When they have cooled, peel the beetroots, trim the ends and chop into small-ish pieces.
- In a large saucepan, heat the sunflower/rapeseed oil and add the onion, carrot, celery, garlic and cumin, and cook gently for 5 minutes until softened. Add the beetroot, chilli, salt and red wine vinegar, and simmer gently for 20 minutes.
- Remove from the heat, and leave to cool for a few minutes. Spoon the beetroot mixture into a blender or food processor, and blitz on the highest possible speed for 2-3 minutes until completely smooth.
- Return the ketchup to the pan, then add the sugar, bring to the boil, and lower to a very gentle heat. Cook until the ketchup has reached a good consistency - mine took about 5 minutes, but it depends on the water content of your beetroot (and how thick or pourable you prefer your ketchup!).
- When it has cooled slightly, pour into warm, sterilised bottles or jars. The ketchup will keep, (ideally in a cool, dark place), for 3 months, and once opened, in the fridge for 2 weeks.
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And if you’ve missed any of the recipes in my Christmas Hamper series so far, try:
Christmas Figgy Chutney
Pistachio & Cranberry Biscotti
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Why not take a look at these ketchup and sauce recipes from blogging friends:
- Bintu’s Spiced Tomato Ketchup from Recipes from a Pantry
- Choclette’s Homemade Chilli Sauce from Tin & Thyme
Disclosure: I am a Froothie Ambassador. These links are affiliate links – if you order a blender via these I will receive a commission, (which supports my blogging and my family – thank you!).
[email protected] says
This ketchup is such a good idea, I would love to try this one out for myself and know it would taste a world apart from the shop bought stuff!
Nadia's Healthy Kitchen says
Sounds delicious! I would love to make my own ketchup. I imagine it’s so satisfying knowing you made your own ketchup from scratch! 😀
Sonja says
Yes! I love beets and I love the idea of selfmade ketchup. All that sugar in store bought bottles, ugh…
Also this seems to be the perfect addition to my “gifts from the kitchen” list! Thanks for the awesome recipe!
Kavey says
Love making homemade condiments, this one looks really delicious and not one I’ve thought to make before. Bookmarking!
Diana says
I love beets so I wonder what does beetroot ketchup taste like! I will have to try this sometime x
Dee says
Could I use already pickled beetroot? I seem to have acquired several jars.
thevegspace says
Hi Dee, I don’t see why not, as long as you reduce the amount of vinegar slightly to compensate. Let me know how it goes! Kate
Amy says
Hi there! This sounds delicious. Could I can this?
thevegspace says
Hi Amy, I don’t see why not – haven’t tried it myself so can’t speak from experience but can’t foresee any problems!
Kate
Miss Food Fairy says
I’m a bit of a ketchup fiend too! I’ve never thought about beetroot in a ketchup, but I guess it would be the sweetness in the sauce! Love it! Great idea & I want to try it now but beetroot’s not in season in Australia at the moment 🙁 Pinned for later though, thanks Kate x
https://missfoodfairy.com/2018/03/06/melbourne-prosecco-festival-2018/
Janice says
We love beetroot, I’ve never thought of using it to make ketchup, that’s a great idea.
Lily says
Thanks for sharing the secret recipe with us. The tomato ketchup recipe looks thick and flavorful with those lovely ingredients. It sounds wonderful. It would be helpful for everybody, who would like to cook tomato ketchup recipe. As usual, the pictures look stunning.
Thanks a lot Anders! I love simple recipes so much 😀
How long does this last? Can it be made ahead?
Maria says
I made this tonight for burgers and fries. it doesn’t really taste like storebought ketchup, but it is really good! Much stronger flavor, and the tomato really shines through. I liked it a lot, especially how quick it was to make.nice sharing. thanks for the recipe. good one.🙂
Jaweriya says
This is a brilliant recipe – I am definitely going to try it. 🔹
Summer says
I love this homemade recipe because it has so much less salt than store bought ketchup!
This recipe is so creative! Thank you for sharing. 💞